The Boxer Patrol
by Angel Tsuiraku
Summary: Two schools, one terrorist group, and the boys saddled with five cross-dressing girls. One crazy preventor mission. The girls get a good look at how the Gundam boys live--as boys themselves.2xR, 5xS and a few OCs


__

A/N: Well, after quite a break from Gundam Wing, I'm returning to write a Preventor's story. Most of the characters will be from the series and/or Endless Waltz, but I've added a couple of my own. For instance, there are pairings that I like, such as (a surprisingly pleasing and amusing alternate pairing) Relena/Duo. Sally and Wufei are paired as well (simply because I think they're adorable). For Trowa, since I'm firmly convinced that he and Catherine ARE related, I've paired him with an original character named Kathleen O'Connell. And for Quatre, though I enjoy a good 4xCatherine fic, I decided to pair him with an old character of mine named Angel Tsuiraku. There are the random important-in-a-symbolic-way characters such as Louie and Liz O'Malley that you might recognize from my previous fics. I hope you enjoy the story.

****

Boxer Patrol

A.C. 200

Preventor's HQ, L-2

Sally Po did not look particularly amused, but Chang Wufei had seen her that way often enough to be concerned but not fazed. Still, it meant that he was in for a rough morning, and he was glad he'd opted to stop by a coffee shop on the way to work. After four years of working beside her, he was finally starting to read his partner's emotions correctly. He only hoped the coffee would have a positive effect. She tapped her foot as he approached—a bad sign—but though her greeting was terse and short, he could tell that she wasn't annoyed, for once, at him.

"We're on assignment," she told him crisply as they both stepped into their office. His ears perked up. After three weeks of pure paperwork, a field mission was just what the doctor ordered. However, if Sally wasn't happy about it, it probably wasn't the type of mission he'd enjoy, either.

"On assignment?" he repeated carefully, settling himself onto the corner of his desk. He'd finally grown the few inches he'd needed to surpass her in height. His shoulders had broadened a bit, and he'd matured into an attractive young man of twenty. Sally, too, had matured well, though she'd already been mature when she and Wufei had met five years before.

"Right. At a private school," she added.

_Doesn't sound so bad, so why is she this upset?_ he wondered, and waited for more information. He was slightly irritated that she wouldn't just come out and tell him, but he shoved that irritation aside and waited patiently for the point. It had taken him four years to learn how to do that, as well.

"I'll need you to contact the others," she added, pacing. She was frowning, her forehead creased with frustration and restlessness, and again Wufei had to quell the urge to grab his partner and shake the words out of her. He nodded and mentally reviewed phone numbers. The "others" meant his former comrades and fellow ex-pilots; Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, and Quatre Raberba Winner. None were full-time Preventors, but they all helped when aid was asked of them. "We've got partners for them all, too…temporary partners, of course, also part-time agents." She let out a sigh and finally met her partner's impatient gaze.

"Well, onna—" the term had grown more affectionate now after their long-term partnership, though it still indicated that Wufei was growing impatient—"what exactly _is_ the assignment?"

"You and the guys will be shipping out to a private, all-boy's college, while myself and four other ladies will be heading to its female counterpart school. Limited contact, uniforms, homework, the full deal. To top it all off, we're supposed to discover which, if not both, of the schools is a cover for a small, radical terrorist group intent on destroying the Earth Sphere Unified Nation by attacking youth," she replied. Wufei frowned slightly, beginning to realize why Sally had been uptight about the mission. Being out of contact with your partner, particularly when dealing with potential terrorists, was always stressful. Especially when you were forbidden to go to that partner no matter what the circumstances. The fact that women had to be used in potential combat situations also stuck a chord in the young man's heart. He never liked putting women in danger, even when he knew they were perfectly capable of handling the situation.

"So, who are the temporary female agents?" he asked. Sally's frown deepened and Wufei knew he hadn't heard the worst of the news.

"Well, one isn't temporary, though she's only been a Preventor for a year. Her name is Angel Tsuiraku Kurama, and she's never been on an actual field mission, though she is fully trained. But the others—" Sally paused and Wufei braced himself—"haven't even been trained in formal combat."

"Who are they?" he repeated. Wincing, his partner averted her gaze and cleared her throat.

"Relena Peacecraft, Makoto Tanaka, myself, and a brand-new recruit named Kathleen O'Connell."

It was quite possibly the worst news that Wufei had ever heard, and his expression reflected that sentiment.

"Two diplomats, two agents, and one recruit? And you're going to be in a potentially dangerous situation without any way to contact me or the others at our school? Even when you're in serious trouble?" He stood and paced right alongside her. "Has Lady Une finally gone mad?"

Sally smacked his arm, though it lacked its usual bite due to her distracted state. "I know, I know, but she says that she can't spare any of the fully trained agents and she only trusts us with the job. We don't even know if the terrorists are hiding out there, and we certainly don't need to engage them without backup if they are. Any violence can be avoided until after we've received additional agents."

He nodded, also distracted but understanding the point. He wasn't in the habit of turning down assignments, and when put the way Sally had described it, he could see that the mission was feasibly safe. With a long sigh, he nodded and met her gaze.

"I'll call the guys, you get the women in here for the briefing. Tomorrow, five-ish?"

"My thoughts exactly," Sally agreed, and they both turned to their phones.

--

Duo Maxwell strolled into the room with his usual savoir-faire attitude, hands casually shoved into the pockets of his black pants, hat pulled low over his eyes, and dark-red muscle shirt revealing strong, tan arms from four years of working as a mechanic. He glanced around without much distress, noting the several well-dressed, influential people in the room. He tipped his baseball hat to them, then settled down backwards in his chair and threw a lazy smile to his company.

"So, I got a rather intriguing call from Wufei…I take it that's why we're all here," he drawled, and again cast his gaze over the room's occupants. Seated to his left, looking calm, collected, and professional, was Quatre Raberba Winner. In the past four years Quatre had fully become a man. He'd reached an admirable height of 5'8", and in his business suite he looked every bit the powerful, influential man he was. Still, his trademark _"everything's all right because I'm here_," smile was firmly in place, which put a small rift in his otherwise no-nonsense appearance. The baby-fat had melted from his face, leaving behind a strong jaw and high cheekbones, and his eyes seemed to have brightened over the years, though he often spent long nights in the office buried in paperwork. As far as Duo knew, his friend hadn't taken a single vacation since taking over Winner Enterprises full-time four years ago.

Beside Quatre was a beautiful, delicate creature that Duo had had little contact with in the past four years. She was ethereal and willowy, yet she had the resolve of an amazon woman. Her hair was an attractive shade of honey-blonde, her eyes clear and firm and blue. Relena Peacecraft Dorlian had come far in her life, having been the Queen of the World, and then taking her position as Vice Foreign Minister—a position she retained after recent elections—four years previous. She had always fascinated Duo, symbolizing everything that his life had never been. She was rich, successful, and diplomatic. Her presence sent ripples of calm over the room, adding to Quatre's pleasantly reassuring influence.

Then there was Makoto Tanaka, whom Duo was aquatinted with from the restaurant O'Malley's. She hadn't lost her potent, persuasive presence, and her eyes were still as piercing as Duo remembered them being. Though a reformed person from the rumors he'd heard about her, Duo still felt vague apprehension about the woman, and suspected he always would, though she too was beautiful and intelligent.

Heero Yuy sat across from them all, and apart from growing taller and perhaps a bit more muscular, he was the very same as he had been four years ago. He stayed well out of contact most of the time, but had began to ease into a more normal friendship with his fellow ex-pilots and had even made an attempt to start and maintain conversations. His cobalt blue eyes had thawed over time, though he was still nervous and reserved around other people.

Trowa Barton hadn't changed whatsoever in the past four years. He remained silent and observant. His visible eye reflected absolutely no emotion and his conversation skills had not, Duo thought, improved over time. He sat as close to the far wall as he could and kept a watchful eye over all the room's occupants, but said nothing and only acknowledged Duo's greeting with a firm, short nod. Shaking his head, Duo turned to the two people in the room he wasn't familiar with.

The first was tall and pretty, striking Duo as the type one would see posing in Vogue. She was slender and had high, well-defined cheekbones. Her hair, a deep, pure brown, fell neatly to her shoulders, and her green eyes flickered with optimism and intelligence. She reclined casually in a chair, but even when she wasn't concentrating on it, it looked as though she was posing in front of cameras. Her nametag read "Kathleen," and she met Duo's murmured hello with a warm smile and a nod.

The second was shorter, but no less beautiful. She must have been 5'3" tops, with striking dark-blue eyes and hair the color of honey in shadows. Her body was lithe and athletic without being unattractively muscled, and she had a mischievous, intelligent look to her. Her eyes flashed with humor and rationale. In neat, precise handwriting, her nametag read simply, "Angel," and Duo was inclined to believe it, apart from her obvious bad-girl streak, well hidden under casual clothes and light makeup.

Seconds later, Wufei and Sally stepped into the room, along with Lady Une, a woman Duo had seen and heard little about since the Eve Wars. They all had grim faces, and Quatre glanced Duo's way, frowning slightly. Duo shrugged fractionally in silent response, then refocused his attention on Wufei as the meeting got swiftly underway.

"Well, as I'm sure you've all concluded, we need your assistance on a rather delicate undercover mission. I will be leading the male team, and we will be going to a private male college. We're looking for terrorists. Sally will lead the female team to the women's college, also looking for this potential dangerous group. Each male is to have a female counterpart," he continued, and Duo noted that Relena would more than likely be paired with Heero, leaving him with either one of the new girls or with Makoto, "and they are to contact each other regularly. There will be an inter-school dance while we investigate these schools, which would be a prime time not only for the partners to go into details about their investigations, but also for a potential attack by these terrorists. Are there any questions before I pair you?" he asked.

Quatre was the one that spoke up. "We're to be separated from our counterparts? What if the ladies end up in danger?"

"I'm sure that the ladies will be able to handle that situation, but if there is danger, you are to drop whatever you are doing and go to their aid. We will all carry beepers. These are not to be used unless you're in danger," Wufei added, and looked pointedly Duo's way. Grinning, Duo acquiesced.

"I'll be good," he promised, holding both hands up to show he wasn't crossing his fingers.

"All right," Sally said, stepping forward. "Everybody ready to be paired?" She received eight nods and began to read off of a list. "Heero and Makoto."

There was a shocked, momentary silence at the realization that, for once, Heero was not paired with Relena. Neither he nor Makoto seemed fazed, however, and moved off to the side.

"Duo and Relena."

Giving Relena a slow, sensual smile just to unnerve her, Duo stood and escorted her to the side as well.

"Trowa and Kathleen."

The green-eyed pair nodded to each other and, without touching or speaking, moved to the wall. Quatre shook his head at the sight, thinking to himself that some people never changed, and turned to the last girl.

"Looks like it's you and me," she said with a smile, and his eyes flicked down to her nametag.

"Looks like it," he agreed, and smiled back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Quatre."

"Angel," she said, and accepted the arm he offered her. He courtly escorted her to the others, where she curtsied prettily and he made a deep bow.

"You've got a few days to get to know each other before the school term starts, so I suggest you spend as much time together as possible. Your uniforms will be in your dorm rooms along with your class schedule and that of your partner's. Be careful," Une warned, and everyone nodded once more.

~ A Few Days Later—

"All right…you've got my cell number?" Quatre asked, and Angel laughed and shoved lightly at his shoulder.

"Yes!" she replied, "and I know how to beep you, and I'll hook up the Internet as soon as we're settled into our rooms so you can email me, too. Am I forgetting anything?"

"I'm just worried, that's all," he grumbled a little defensively, and Angel's laughter followed for a second time.

"I know. Good luck, partner."

"Same to you," he replied with a smile, and waved slightly as he ducked into the car. The other guys had already seated themselves inside, but Quatre had paused before entering to give Angel a few last-minute instructions—and a quick kiss on the cheek for show. The girls were supposedly the guys' love interests. Makoto shook her head and waved as the taxi-van pulled away from the girls' school.

"He's rather paranoid, isn't he?" she commented, and Angel tossed her a look.

"You don't know the half of it. I've known him for four days and it's like we've never been apart. He treats me like a mischievous kid. One he intends to keep _extremely _close tabs on," the shorter girl replied. Then they both turned and glanced at the other three girls. Apart from Sally's friendship with Relena, the five of them were strangers. With an easy-going smile, Angel strode toward the front office.

"Let's get this spectacle started, shall we?" she said. Relena trailed regally after the short Englishwoman with dignity, and with a shake of her head Sally jogged forward to take the lead. Kathleen, the only one who didn't want to be in charge, followed quietly, singing to herself softly. Makoto quickened her pace to catch up with the others, wishing she could take charge like she normally did.

"So, what's our backup plan?" she asked Sally, who glanced her way and tried not to smile too widely.

"Well, if the terrorists are here, on the boys' side, we'll disguise ourselves as men and go over there to offer our assistance."

"And if the terrorists are here at the girl side?" Relena questioned.

"Well, that is a tidbit more complicated—" Sally began, but Angel's amused laughter cut her off.

"That's rich. I'd like to see Chang Wufei in a dress," she shot back, and even Relena snickered at the mental picture that had conjured.

"Or Trowa," Kathleen added. "With that hair? He could put someone's eye out!"

"Oh yeah?" Relena countered with a soft chuckle. "With Duo's hair, he'd fit right in and no one would know the difference."

"Apart from the fact that he's _friggin' tall!"_ Angel put in.

"To you, hun, everyone's friggin' tall," Kathleen reminded her, and Angel stuck her tongue out at the admittedly taller girl. "And what about Mr. Winner? I'd like to see him dressed as a girl."

"Ten bucks says his sisters dressed him up like a girl all the time when he was little," Makoto said, and no one took the wager.

"Twenty says they added makeup when he was a bit older," Angel added after a moment, and Relena gasped for air between laughs and struggled to toss in her own two bits.

"I've got…pictures," she managed, and the four other girls all shot her eager glances. "I'll show you when our computers get hooked up."

"Oh man, I knew that my partner would be the cross-dressing one…and I was hoping it would be Duo, too," Angel sighed, and Kathleen laughed.

"I bet Duo does too, on the weekends," she reassured.

"Wouldn't put it past him," Relena conceded, and Makoto grinned.

"With a little Photoshop magic, I could put them all in dresses and fax it to the boys' school."

"You're evil," the other four gasped, but Makoto noticed that no one argued with that particular plan. Still chuckling, the five of them strolled into the office like they owned the place.

~Meanwhile—

"Whaddaya think the girls are up to?" Duo asked, and Wufei snorted.

"Their eyebrows in trouble already," he replied, and Quatre tried (unsuccessfully) to hide a smile at his assessment.

"I'm sure," he said when he was sure he wouldn't laugh, "that the ladies will be able to handle themselves just fine."

Wufei looked decidedly unconvinced. He failed to respond, instead turning his gaze out of the window. Trowa, in a similar position from the front, decided to speak on the subject.

"None of them have experience…except for Sally. Relena will be able to handle herself in any dangerous situation that pops up, but the others…like Kathleen…"

"The women will be fine," Heero objected, but didn't elaborate.

"Yes, I'm sure Heero's right," Quatre added. "After all, Angel handled herself pretty well, and Kathleen is intelligent."

"And Mako's one tough cookie from the rumors flying around O'Malley's. Of course, O'Malley himself denied it profusely…" Duo mused, then fell quiet. The silence lasted until they arrived at their school. In typical silence—apart from Duo's muttered comments and Wufei's sharper retorts—the five boys checked in, registered, and headed for their rooms. Each room was a double, though each boy had a room to himself. The extra room provided them with equipment and room for the girls if, for some reason, they had to venture to the boys' school. This was something the boys wanted to avoid, but they had to be prepared if it couldn't be worked around.

If however, the threat was on the girls' side, things got a bit more complicated. The boys wouldn't make good women, but they couldn't leave their counterparts without protection. If it came to them infiltrating the girls' school, Trowa and Quatre would go in as teachers, Heero and Wufei as self-defense instructors, and Duo—per his own insistence—as a girl. Quatre secretly suspected that this was because Duo wanted access to the locker rooms, but he kept this observation to himself.

Ten minutes later, after hooking up their computers with the provided Internet connections, the boys rendezvoused in the lobby. Quatre looked at the others and sighed, Wufei looked decidedly unhappy, Duo chipper but uncharacteristically silent, and Heero and Trowa were the typical stone-faced silent ones.

"It starts," Wufei said. "And I have a feeling that by the end of the week, we'll have discovered that our instincts are right…"

He trailed off, but Quatre finished the sentence anyway. "And the terrorists will be on our side."

Duo, who rarely took anything seriously, beamed cheerfully. "Relena ought to look good in my boxers," he commented, and the others collectively rolled their eyes—even Trowa.

"Well, let's get started," Wufei grumbled, and they began their first sweep of the school.


End file.
